Atlantic Ferries "Garça Branca" – BMT Nigel Gee 40m Ferry


Ferry operated by Atlantic Ferries seen on the Sado River arriving in Tróia in August 2019. This ferry of the catamaran type, named "Garça Branca" and registered S-1108-TL, is a BMT Nigel Gee ¹ 40m Slow Speed Pax Ferry completed in 2008, yard number C946. Steel hull and composite superstructure. It has an overall length of 132.7 ft and can accommodate 350 passengers (350+4). Beurteaux/Vogelsitze Pino 100 seats. It uses two 354 kW (475 hp) Caterpillar 3406E main engines and Schottel SRP 330 azimuth thrusters. Top speed is 13.5 knots. Its class includes two vessels, "Garça Branca" and "Roaz Corvineiro", designed in the United Kingdom by BMT Nigel Gee and built under license in Portugal by Estaleiros Navais de Peniche ².

Established in 2007 and based in Setúbal, Atlantic Ferries ³ provides the connection between Setúbal and the Tróia Peninsula in the estuary of the Sado River. Here, on a splendid summer day, we surprise the "Garça Branca" arriving in Tróia (Ponta do Adoxe terminal), after a trip of about 15 minutes. The names "Garça Branca" (great egret, Ardea alba ⁴) and "Roaz Corvineiro" (common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus) pay tribute to these wild species, familiar presences in the estuary of the Sado River. ● 


Ferry operado pela Atlantic Ferries visto no Rio Sado a chegar a Tróia em Agosto de 2019. Este ferry do tipo catamaran, com o nome de "Garça Branca" e registado S-1108-TL, é um BMT Nigel Gee ¹ 40m Slow Speed Pax Ferry completado em 2008, número de construção C964. Casco em aço e superestrutura em compósito. Tem um comprimento total de 40,45 m e pode acomodar 350 passageiros (350+4). Assentos Beurteaux/Vogelsitze Pino 100. Utiliza duas máquinas principais Caterpillar 3406E de 354 kW (475 hp) e propulsores azimutais Schottel SRP 330. A velocidade máxima é de 13,5 nós. A sua classe inclui duas embarcações, "Garça Branca" e "Roaz Corvineiro", projectadas no Reino Unido pela BMT Nigel Gee e construídas sob licença em Portugal pelos Estaleiros Navais de Peniche ².

Estabelecida em 2007 e baseada em Setúbal, a Atlantic Ferries ³ assegura no estuário do Rio Sado a ligação entre Setúbal e a Península de Tróia. Aqui, num esplêndido dia de Verão, surpreendemos o "Garça Branca" a chegar a Tróia (terminal da Ponta do Adoxe), após uma viagem de cerca de 15 minutos. Os nomes "Garça Branca" (Ardea alba ⁴) e "Roaz Corvineiro" (Tursiops truncatus) prestam tributo a estas espécies selvagens, presenças familiares no estuário do Rio Sado. ● 


¹  "BMT Nigel Gee and Associates, Ltd.", Southampton, England
²  "Estaleiros Navais de Peniche, S.A.", Peniche, Portugal 
³  "Atlantic Ferries – Tráfego Local, Fluvial e Marítimo, S.A.", Setúbal, Portugal
⁴  Or Egretta garzetta? 


Atlantic Ferries

Established in 2007 and based in Setúbal, Atlantic Ferries provides the connection between Setúbal and the Tróia Peninsula in the estuary of the Sado River. ●

Name

Registration

OL/TS

Built

Rola do Mar ¹

S-1105-TL

70 m

12 kn

Multi Maritime/ Fiskerstrand Verft (Fiskarstranda)

2007

#55

Pato Real ¹

S-1106-TL

70 m

12 kn

Multi Maritime/ Fiskerstrand Verft (Fiskarstranda)

2007

#56

Roaz Corvineiro ²

S-1107-TL

40,4 m

13,5 kn

BMT Nigel Gee/ENP (Peniche)

2008

#?

Garça Branca ²

 

S-1108-TL

40,4 m

13,5 kn

BMT Nigel Gee/ENP (Peniche)

2008

#C964

¹  A Multi Maritime (Førde, Norway) car and passenger ferry project (MM70FE), built by Fiskerstrand Verft (Fiskarstranda, Norway) and delivered in 2007 .
²  A BMT Nigel Gee and Associates (Southampton, England) passenger ferry project (40m Slow Speed Pax Ferry – NG564), built by Estaleiros Navais de Peniche (Peniche, Portugal) and delivered in 2008.

Due additions or corrections are welcome. 



After crossing the Sado River aboard the "Garça Branca", the opportunity arises to explore the natural landscape. First, my eyes discover the beautiful mouth of the river seen from the Tróia Peninsula. But soon, smaller things catch my attention. Above all, I'm looking for the Large Psammodromus gecko – but it's not the best time to find it. Instead, I am surprised by a splendid grasshopper (species?) – perfect engineering. ●

Depois de atravessar o Rio Sado a bordo do "Garça Branca", surge a oportunidade para explorar a paisagem natural. Primeiro, os meus olhos descobrem a bela foz do rio vista a partir da Península de Tróia. Mas logo, coisas mais pequenas despertam a minha atenção. Sobretudo, procuro a lagartixa Large Psammodromus – mas não é a melhor altura para a encontrar. Em vez dela, sou surpreendido por um esplêndido gafanhoto (espécie?) – engenharia perfeita. ●



● References 

Wikipedia | "Atlantic Ferries"
Wikipedia | "BMT Group"
BMT | "40m Slow Speed Pax Ferry" data sheet
ENP | "Ferry Catamarã 40,4M" data sheet
Wikipedia | "Caterpillar" 
Caterpillar | "Caterpillar Marine Engine 3406E" data sheet
Wikipedia | "Schottel" 
Schottel | "SRT Rudderpropeller" data sheet
ShipSpotting | "Garça Branca"
Wikipedia | "Ferry"
Wikipedia | "Catamaran"
Wikipedia | "Setúbal"
Wikipedia | "Setúbal" pt-PT
Wikipedia | "Tróia Peninsula"
Wikipedia | "Península de Troia" pt-PT
Wikipedia | "Great egret"
Wikipedia | "Garça-branca" pt-PT
Wikipedia | "Golfinho-roaz" pt-PT


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